How do logs explain a fault?
A driver reports: plugged in, card accepted, but charging never started.
A support engineer opens the message log of connector 2 for the last ten minutes.
The questionWhat do the messages say about where the fault lies?
The connector reports that a car is connected. So far everything is normal.
Select each line to read it like the engineer.
Three questions for every log
- Where did it stop? Before authorisation, between authorisation and start, or during charging. Each points to a different part.
- Who reported the error? The charger's own hardware, the communication with the car, or the backend connection.
- Does it repeat? One car once, or every car at this connector. A pattern across cars points to the charger, a pattern for one model to the car side.
From log to fix
In this case, the next car charged normally, and the same car model had failed at two other chargers that week. The engineer files it as a compatibility issue for that model and informs the charger's manufacturer, who can test it. The driver's perspective on failed sessions is the subject of EV charging fundamentals, stop 06.
Check your understanding
3 questions. Answer all of them to complete this stop. Each answer explains itself.
The card was accepted, but no transaction started. Where does the log point?
Authorisation succeeded, so the problem lies after it: car and charger did not agree to start.
The next car, a different model, charged normally. What does that suggest?
A charger that works for other cars is not broken; a pattern for one model points to the car side.
Which question helps most to tell a charger fault from a car issue?
Errors with every car point to the charger; errors with one model point to the car or compatibility.